I catch Mia leaning against the kitchen doorway, her arms crossed but her expression softer than before. Her eyes linger on me, and when our gazes meet, she quickly looks away, a faint blush dusting her cheeks.
We move to the girls’ bedroom next, a cozy space with twin beds and a battalion of stuffed animals guarding the walls.Emma leads me to the window and points dramatically. “Agent Asher, we have a loose latch here!”
“Excellent find, Agent Emma,” I say, crouching by the window. “Now, what do we do if we find a loose latch?”
“Fix it?” Ella guesses, peeking out from behind her sister.
“Exactly,” I say. “Come here, I’ll show you how.”
Ella steps forward hesitantly while Emma hovers, watching closely. I demonstrate how to tighten the latch. Mia steps in to help, and when our fingers brush, it’s like a live wire runs between us. We both freeze for a moment before pulling back quickly.
“Got it?” I ask the girls, my voice a little rougher than before.
Ella nods solemnly. “Got it.”
After the girls lead me through the rest of the house, we finish in the basement. The basement stairs creak as Mia descends ahead of me, her slender frame lit by the dim bulb overhead. I’m just a step behind her, scanning the space for potential vulnerabilities. It’s an old house. Cozy, sure, but not exactly built with defense in mind.
Mia turns to face me. “Be careful, it’s a little dark in here.”
I’m about to suggest reinforcing the back entrance when Mia’s foot catches on the edge of a step. Time slows as she stumbles sideways, a small gasp escaping her lips. Instinct kicks in, and I move faster than I thought I could, catching her before she can fall. My hands close around her hips as I steady her, her body flush against mine.
For a second, the world narrows. Her hands are braced on my chest, her face tilted up toward mine, and I’m struck by how close we are. Her warm breath brushes my neck, her eyes wide with surprise… and something else. Something I shouldn’t be noticing. My fingers tighten instinctively on her hips, and I feel the curves of her body beneath my hands, soft in ways that make my pulse spike.
Heat floods me, primal and immediate. My body reacts before my brain can catch up, and I grit my teeth, silently cursing myself. I’m a professional, dammit. I don’t get distracted.
The twins’ delighted squeals from the bottom of the stairs snap the moment in half. “Mommy, did you fall?” Emma calls, giggling.
Mia’s cheeks turn pink as she pulls back, quickly straightening herself. “No, sweetheart,” she says, her voice a little breathless. “Asher caught me.”
I force my hands to drop to my sides, though it feels like an effort. As I set her down fully, her body slides against mine, the unintentional friction nearly undoing my composure. I bite back a groan, praying she doesn’t notice my erection.
“Careful on these stairs,” I say to Mia, my voice rougher than I’d like. “They’re steeper than they look.”
She nods, avoiding my gaze as she smooths her shirt. “Thanks,” she murmurs, her blush deepening. Whether it’s from embarrassment or something else, I can’t tell.
The twins, oblivious to the tension between us, dart around the room like spies on a mission. Emma points to a small ground-level window. “Agent Asher! Is this a weak point?”
I crouch to inspect it, grateful for the distraction. “Good eye, Agent Emma. This latch is loose. We’ll fix it to make sure no bad guys can get in.”
“What can we do to help you, Agent Asher?” Ella says.
Before I can answer Ella’s innocent question, my phone chirps. I fish it out of my pocket and swipe the screen. Zane’s message pops up, along with a series of attached photos from the hospital. Each one highlights a glaring security gap—unmonitored corridors, unsecured entrances. There are several blind spots.
I can’t afford distractions. Not here. Not now. Still, as I tuck the phone back into my pocket, I catch a glimpse of Mia. She’s watching me, her lips curved in the faintest smile. Something about it is disarming, pulling at a part of me I’ve tried to keep locked away.
The twins chatter on, oblivious to the shift in my mood. I glance around the room one last time, making mental notes about what needs reinforcing, but my thoughts keep circling back to Mia.
Professional distance.
Those words run through my mind like a mantra, but it’s already clear it’s going to be a hell of a lot harder than I expected.
CHAPTER 7
MIA
The summonsto Mrs. Meyers’s office comes via a phone call, in a clipped instruction that sends my stomach plunging. It’s rare to be called in during my shift. Even rarer to find the head of IT—wearing a badge that tells me his name is Randall—and a hospital security officer waiting alongside my supervisor. Their grim expressions tell me that whatever this is, it’s bad.
I step into the office, my heart pounding, and my gaze is immediately drawn to the computer screen. The paused footage shows a familiar figure in grainy black and white: Jason.
